


Crucial Decision

by SublimeSky



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Adult Confidants (Persona 5), F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-09-18
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:53:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26520961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SublimeSky/pseuds/SublimeSky
Summary: Sojiro Sakura's Phantom Thieves have a potential new member in Toranosuke Yoshida, but he has moral reservations. Ichiko Ohya decides to help him make a decision. The two open up to each other.
Relationships: Ohya Ichiko/Yoshida Toranosuke
Kudos: 13





	Crucial Decision

**Author's Note:**

> This work is based on fandom artist [ScruffyTurtles'](https://twitter.com/ScruffyTurtles) Adult Confidant AU for Persona 5. As of writing, that story is not concluded and is not to this point yet. The scenarios and events depicted here are not part of his story, and they are not predictions for his story. This is a ship fic meant to work within the confines of a story that isn't finished yet. All the characters are their ACAU versions. And I think these two are really cute together. This is the first fanfic I've ever published. I hope you like it.

For the Phantom Thieves, the atmosphere after a mission accomplished was one of relief and celebration. The gang of revolutionaries formed by the smooth-talking Sojiro Sakura would welcome their newest addition in the coffee shop the leader called home. They would plan and then throw a party funded by the victory spoils. 

That wouldn’t be the case this time. 

Toranosuke Yoshida, known to some as Tora and known to Shujin Academy as the student council president. He wasn’t known for talking to people, but he sure was good at talking at people. Not only could he deliver a speech on par with a prime minister, he was passionate about what he believed in. So much so that when his rebellious will manifested in the cognitive world, he acted as more of a shield and diplomat than anything else. He did not possess a directly offensive weapon. All throughout the heist, he expressed concerns about stealing treasure and holding up Shadows for leverage. His unrestrained diplomatic candor even got the team caught and ambushed during the sneaking mission. 

They got the mission accomplished, but not without some trouble; and the Phantom Thieves weren’t sure what to do from here. They were fine with showing the new guy the ropes. That wasn’t the hard part. The hard part was negotiating Tora’s moral misgivings. 

Ichiko Ohya, the team navigator and school paper's reporter, correctly anticipated this. The man who expressed that her Metaverse outfit was indecent for showing some thighs would certainly take umbrage with the Thieves’ methods. She rather easily deduced that if he didn’t manifest a firearm in the cognitive world, he would refuse to wield one in future missions. She thought it was odd when he renounced the title of “thief” as he manifested his Persona, but true to his words, he was audibly uncomfortable with doing _any_ thief work. This got to the point that even though he summoned a Persona, he was having many reservations about joining the team. 

The conversation that ensued when the Phantom Thieves and their would-be recruit got in the same room could only be described as tense. Tora’s unbending moral compass proved to put the Thieves in a potentially compromising position. One of the founding members, Munehisa Iwai, pointed out that “we’re fucked the instant he decides to rat us out. We can’t just let him go.” The further moral quandary was fraught with Tae Takemi’s understanding that “we can’t force him into being on the team and we can’t force his silence either.” The Thieves were seemingly lacking for options, save for one that Sadayo Kawakami whispered to Sojiro about “Mementos.” Even then, the leader subtly shook his head as if to instantly reject whatever her idea was. 

With the group unable to reach a consensus, Sojiro sighed and made his announcement. “We’re not going to agree on anything right now. We need to meet up right here three days from now after everyone’s done at school. Tae’s classes end the earliest that day.” 

As the group’s only college student, scheduling meetups around her classes had proven problematic. She sarcastically replied, “How considerate of you, Boss.” 

“Tora, giving you time is the best thing we can do for you right now. If you don’t join us, we can let you walk away, no questions asked. If you join us, you commit and you do not look back. Until we come back here three days from now, I need you to keep quiet about us. You saved our lives, so I am putting all of my trust in you to do that.” The part he didn’t say out loud was that he didn’t have a choice. 

Tora reluctantly agreed to the temporary compromise. “Understood, Sakura-san.” 

A thick, uncomfortable silence smothered the room. Sojiro turned around without a word and motioned to let everyone out of the room.

Tora did not move from his spot. Sojiro grew visibly impatient and motioned again toward the door. Ichiko stood in the middle, darting her eyes between the two, her head motionless.

“...I need a moment, Sakura-san.” 

“I should keep an eye on him, Boss.” 

“You have forty minutes until Futaba is home. Both of you get out of here before then.” He quickly disappeared out of sight, and the front door of the coffee shop closed behind him. 

Like the Sword of Damocles, a dangerous dilemma accompanied by a single, pointed thought hung over Tora’s head. _Can I truly be part of this team?_

Ichiko decided to approach. 

“Hey, Yoshida.” 

“Hm? Oh, Ohya-san. There’s no need to keep watch on me. I just need to collect my thoughts.” He could barely bring himself to make eye contact with her. 

“It’s okay if you don’t want to be part of this.” 

He paused, and brought his eyes up to hers. “I don’t know. I sense in Sakura-san’s words that I’m being threatened. Do I really have a choice?” 

“Of course. We’re not going to make you stay. Boss gave you the opportunity to walk, so if you want to, now’s your chance.” 

A faint smile formed on his mouth. “I appreciate the concern. I will make my decision once I have given it sufficient thought.” 

“I want you to stay, but it’s your choice. Just take your time to think about it, okay?” 

“Thank you very much.”

Ichiko’s smile, though normally devilish, was at this moment warm and reassuring, and it delighted the council president to see it. So much so that he was kind of staring, and it took him a moment to avert his own gaze. Not that she didn’t notice. And then the warmth of her smile turned into wicked mischief. “You’re staring.”

Red began to form on his cheeks. “My apologies. I know it’s indecent of me.”

“Hehehe. Could it be that you just like staring at me?” 

She reveled in the deeply embarrassed look on his face as he wildly denied her accusation. “Absolutely not! It is my full intention to be respectful! I derive no pleasure from being rude!” 

She giggled, oozing her intent to tease him further. “Are you suuuure? You sure seem flustered~” 

“You-I-but I-I’m not-Ohya-san!” 

“Wow, I’ve never heard our eloquent president stutter so much~ Who knew you had it in you?” 

“This interaction is beyond inappropriate!” 

He said that, but… 

He sure didn’t mind the way she looked at him. 

Tora’s position in the student body meant that he was only used to interacting with students a certain way. No one ever looked at such a studious, serious disciplinarian without taking him seriously in some way. Certain students would make it clear that they resented him, but it meant that he held influence over them. To many, he was completely untouchable. To others, he was too socially awkward to bother with anyway. To then see Ichiko Ohya focus her chaotic energy onto him felt oddly invigorating. In a way, he was never any closer to anyone. Never any closer to being treated like a real person. And of all people, it was the reporter who constantly acted out, marched to the beat of her own drum. And he sure liked her smile… 

Before he could let himself get pulled into a tangential thought spiral, he stood and collected himself. 

“I must admit, I am surprised.” 

“Oh? And why’s that?” 

“Of all the people among your group, I did not expect that it would be you who tries to console me.” 

“Jesus, you make it sound like I’m the fuckin devil or something.” 

“To be frank, your occasionally fiendish behavior lends itself to that impression.”

A smugly bemused look crossed Ichiko’s face. Tora immediately thought he might have stepped too far. 

“...I don’t mean to offend.” 

There was that mischievous smile again. “Oh, don’t worry. I’ve heard everything anyone could ever say about me.” 

Ever so slightly, Tora winced and looked away. He knew what she was referring to, and the perceptive reporter noticed. 

“Come on now. What’s that look for?” She knew exactly what that look was for, but she wanted to hear it come from his mouth. 

“It’s just...I remember. I remember what everyone would say about you. I didn’t know enough about you to disagree, so I believed it. The student council president, beholden to such harmful gossip about a fellow student. I was and still am deeply ashamed of myself. I’m sorry I let everyone treat you like that. I’m sorry I let that happen to you while your friend was being...mistreated by Murada-san...” 

The sudden outburst of heartfelt honesty, plus the mention of Kayo and Murada, caught Ichiko off guard. “It’s okay. You know better now, right? So I can’t hold it against you.”

“Nonetheless, I would understand if you did.” 

“After you shielded all of us? I don’t think so.” 

“But then I went and caused you all trouble with our disagreement.” 

“We respect that your beliefs are important to you. Asking you to ditch them would be selfish.”

“But the most virtuous thing to do is repay my debt to you.” 

“Then it sounds like you have your answer, right?”

Tora paused. Ichiko’s response made him realize that he had arrived on something. 

“...Yes...I believe that I have.” 

“You-Really?” 

“Truly! I believe that you thieves need an honest diplomat to keep you from becoming corrupted by power. I should assist you all on your missions to keep you in check!” 

Ichiko sported a devilish grin once again, and began teasing him. “I can’t believe it was that easy!” 

“Can you blame me for being conflicted? This is a very important decision!” 

“Still, you really over thought it. You got in your own head!” 

“It happens…” He looked away in embarrassment. That would only encourage her teasing. 

“Hehehe. Could it be that you just wanted to argue with everyone? You’re more prideful than I thought~”

“Absolutely not!” He furiously waved his hands in front of his face to emphasize his denial of Ichiko’s teasing accusation. Continuing his large hand gestures, he continued, “Your group is at the precipice of major social change! You are in a delicate position where you could become too powerful or step off the righteous path! If I’m going to be a part of it, I must commit and be an outstanding example!” 

“Then we’d love to have you! We’re always going to do what’s right! You wanna do right, right?” Tora’s enthusiasm was infectious enough to raise her voice.

“With all my heart!!” he shouted, both fists raised. 

“Then shut the fuck up and be a Phantom Thief already!” 

“I am a fighter, not a thief!!” 

“Who cares! You’re one of us now!” 

His stance widened and he pumped his fist, punching the air as he delivered something indescribable. “I am Toranosuke Yoshida, a believer in all that is good and right! To be just means to fight injustice! With my two fists, I will fight evil! With my shield, I will protect you from corruption! I stand outside society’s laws as a diplomat and warrior for the good of all! For my friends, for the weak, for the oppressed, I! Will! FIGHT!!!” 

The impromptu speech just hung in the air for a few seconds as Tora, frozen in his dynamic pose, turned bright red in the face once again. 

“...did anyone hear-” 

Ichiko was rolling and laughing harder than anyone had ever heard. She gathered herself long enough to ask, before she doubled over again, “What in the flying FUCK was that?!” 

“I-well I-see, I don’t-I don’t know what came over me-I-I know that was too much-”

The absolute gremlin of a reporter always got a kick out of messing with people. It was practically her pastime. But something about messing with Toranosuke Yoshida of all people was so much more amusing. This guy was the student council president viewed by everyone as a know-it-all above it all. To see him get flustered and stammer on his words was not only a tantalizingly rare sight, but one that made him endearing. The student who’s good enough at public speaking to give speeches for seasoned politicians was actually a big, awkward dork. And now here he was, giving a passionate impromptu speech about justice and righteousness all with dynamic poses straight out of a manga. It was like he threw away any pretense of demanding to be taken seriously, and yet he meant every word. And as that moment in time stood frozen, he turned completely red all over again. It was a genuinely joyful scene for Ichiko to witness. 

It took about three minutes for her to catch her breath. Tora was still hiding his face behind his hands. And as she caught her breath, she blurted something out.

“Oh my god, you’re so cuuuuute.” 

He froze again, eyes wide as dinner plates. She froze too, but her face told a different tale than his. He couldn’t believe what he just heard, but she couldn’t believe what she just said. Her unmoving smile clearly conveyed a what-the-fuck reaction to herself. 

Another few seconds of silence passed, seemingly stretched into eternity. 

“Ohya-san?” 

“Y-yeah?” 

“I’m...cute?” 

“Well, I-I mean. I didn’t-”

“I might have misheard you. I apologize. It’s just that no one has ever called me that before.” 

“Um...well...yeah. It’s true.” Realizing that she had nothing to hide and nothing to risk by saying it louder, Ichiko seemed to release her tension. She spoke her next words with her whole chest, much as her heart pounded within. “Yoshida, you’re really cute! You’re passionate when you talk, you act with pure intentions, and you have the prettiest smile I’ve ever seen! It’s adorable!”

She just beamed at him while he still processed what he was hearing. 

Silence. 

Ichiko’s confidence was rapidly turning into anxiety, and the overwhelming sense that she fucked up. “Y-Yoshida?” 

He was staring at the floor, eyes still wide, until he finally vocalized. “Did you truly mean all of that?” 

“Um...y-yes.” Anxiety was getting the better of her. She needed to escape, and fast. Positioning herself to bolt out of the room, she offered the quickest excuse she could come up with. “So, Sakura-san’s going to be home soon, how about I just-” 

“Hold a moment, please.” 

“Yoshida?” 

“Well, I…” He was blushing again. “I…” 

“You…?” 

He was talking to her, but looking away. “Ohya-san...truth be told...the few times I’ve ever looked at you…” 

Anticipation swelled within Ichiko. She caught on to what Tora was trying to say, but wasn’t sure if she could believe it. No, she wanted to hear it come directly from him. A smile formed on her face again, but this time, one of elation instead of mischief.

“I mean-sometimes-sometimes I’ll see you and think to myself that you must be the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen!” 

There it was. 

What Ichiko did next, she did with no thought, no hesitation, and no regret. 

She jumped up and, as he held her up to his height, fully kissed him on his lips. 

That single moment seemed to dramatically decompress into minutes for both of them. Indeed, they wished that it could have lasted even longer. 

She slowly got both her feet on the ground. 

“Ohya-san-” 

“Ichiko.” Her beautiful smile still beaming at him, she would happily let him use her first name. 

“What?! I could never-” 

“You are not calling me by my last name now, Tora.” She winked, knowing that they could comfortably talk on more familiar terms now. One wasn’t going on a first-name basis without the other, after all. 

“Okay...Ichiko. Just so I didn’t misunderstand any of what just happened here...are we now, um...dating?”

She laughed out loud and said in her playful tone, “Tora, I kissed you. What the fuck do you THINK that means?!”

“Presumably that we’re dating?” 

“With your consent, yes~” 

“Of...of course. Yes. Yes, I will happily date you. It would be my honor and delight.” 

“Oh my god, Tora. You’re the cutest.”

The two leaned into each other and kissed again. As foreign a situation as this was to either of them, it didn’t matter. It didn’t feel like one was moving without the other. In that moment, they both knew what they wanted and they were happy to have it. 

“Hey, we still have another seven minutes until Sakura-san gets home. With our limited time in mind, I have a proposal, Ichiko.” 

“Now?” She smirked, gleefully taking advantage of his choice of words. “Don’t you think that’s a little quick?” 

“Not that-I didn’t mean-What I meant was-You-” The poor president was stumbling over his words again before he slumped over in defeat. “You know what I meant.” 

“I know, you big dork.” 

She nudged him with her elbow and he chuckled. “I would like to take you on a date this Sunday.” 

“Sure, I’m game!” 

“Excellent!” he proclaimed as his face beamed. 

The look of genuine joy on Tora’s face made Ichiko’s heart jump a little bit.

“Hehehe. Where to?” 

The look of delight on his face froze as he realized that he had not thought that far ahead. 

“Um...well...to be determined?” 

“God, you’re hopeless.” 

He started to blush again, but this time more out of embarrassment at his lack of experience on the matter. “Ichiko, I can’t help that I’ve never dated before.” 

“Hmm...fuck it, then. Next free day we have, let’s go to my place.” 

Now his whole face was bright red again. “Y-y-your room?! First date?! The indecency!” 

His sheer earnestness made Ichiko laugh out loud again. “Oh hush, it won’t be like that. We can just hang out! You know, eat snacks, stream movies, play a game. It’ll be fun and it’ll barely cost a thing.” 

As soon as he distracted himself from dwelling on the thought of _“Your laugh is the cutest thing I’ve ever heard in my life,”_ he said “That sounds delightful. I’d love to join you.” 

“It’s a date, then!” 

“I suppose I could...walk you to the train station?” Tora offered. 

“Carry me there!” 

“E-excuse me?!” 

“If you can’t, you can walk me back instead.” 

“It’s not that I _can’t,_ it would just draw so much attention-” 

“Aww, it’s so much fun messing with you. Yes, let’s walk back to the station. We can take our time, too. We definitely can’t stay here, though. Sakura-san is almost home and Boss isn’t exactly patient.” 

The time they spent between the café and the train station felt unmercifully short, but it was invaluable to them. They talked comfortably with each other as they walked through the streets of Yongen-Jaya, all the way until the trains were ready to depart. Tora’s train left first, with the student council president going home the happiest he had felt for as long as he could remember. He knew that this initial high would soon crash into nervous feelings. He knew he would overthink the need to prepare for his date. But in this moment, right now, he chose to enjoy himself and the time he spent with Ichiko. And in the words Sojiro had said to him before, he would not look back.


End file.
